OHIO CRAFT BREWERS CONFERENCE

Join us at the Dayton Convention Center in Dayton, OH, on Feb. 5-6, 2020for the
6th annual Ohio Craft Brewers Conference. Packed with educational seminars, featured speakers, industry vendors and awesome networking opportunities. Whether you work for an operating brewery, have a brewery in planning or are a craft beer industry vendor, there’s sure to be something for everyone…and a few craft beers too!

Main Room (103): Welcome address with Mary MacDonald, OCBA Executive Director and Collin Castore, Seventh Son Brewing, OCBA Board PresidentKeynote Speaker: US Craft: Trends and Trajectories with Christopher Shepard, Senior Editor, Craft Brew News, Beer Marketer’s INSIGHTSIn this age of disruption, just trying to keep up can feel like a mad dash or wild goose chase. Get grounded with this fast-paced update on the latest beer biz numbers and news, digging into the most important metrics and how they’re shifting due to the latest developments.

10 – 10:45 a.m.:

Main Room (103): Yeast Management – It’s All About the Fermentation with Victor Pool, Columbus Brewing CompanyHealthy yeast is essential for producing high quality beer. This presentation will cover industry best practices including yeast cell counting, proper pitching rates, ideal storage conditions, guidelines for ordering from your supplier, yeast metabolism and production of off aromas, and management of dry hop creep.

Fundamentals Room (302-303): Creating a Brand Building Merchandise Program with Tracey Ireland, Rhinegeist BreweryHear Rhinegeist discuss their approach for Merchandise and share best practices and lessons for you to take back to your Brewery.

Business of Beer Room (306): Taxes for Breweries 101 with Judy Sees and Kayla Emanuelson, Schroedel, Scullin & Bestic CPAs and Adam Keck, Modern Methods Brewing CompanyCome learn the ABCs of accounting and income taxes for your brewery. Everything from business entity options, accounting methods and income tax reporting to why even start-up breweries shouldn’t overlook the research and development credit. Whether you are an existing brewery or a brewery in planning, this seminar will provide a practical approach to the basics you need to know.

11 – 11:45 a.m.:

Main Room (103): What Your Brewery Can Learn from Disney with Carla Gesell-Streeter, Cincinnati State Tech & Community CollegeWith parks around the world, Disney is a leader in the field of customer service. Disney scholar and College of Disney Knowledge graduate, Carla will walk you through ways that you can learn from the House of the Mouse to make your brewery and especially your tasting or tap room more guest focused and, at the same time, increase your guest visits.

Fundamentals Room (302-303): The State and Federal TTB Permit Process: What to Know Before You Brew with James Niekamp, Graydon LawThis presentation will focus on the Federal TTB and Ohio Division of Liquor Control permit process for breweries. It will also provide an overview of the historical and current regulatory environment governing the production, permit & labeling requirements, taxation, and sale of beer.

Business of Beer Room (306): Design and Branding for the Modern Craft Brewery with Greg Althoff, Rhinegeist BreweryAre you looking to stand out in the crowded craft beer marketplace? Discover some practical insights into how you can better manage your brewery’s brand and visual identity so that the general public really sees you for what makes you special.

12 – 2 p.m.: TRADE SHOW TIME (Exhibit Hall 102)

12:45 – 2 p.m.: Lunch in Exhibit Hall 102

2 – 2:45 p.m.:

Main Room (103): Get Noticed! Media Relations for the Brewing Industry Panel moderated by Justin Hemminger, OCBA with Rick Armon, Ohio Beer Blog, Jess Baker, CraftBeer.com, Nick Bowman, Warped Wing Brewing Company and Kevin Moreland, Fretboard BrewingEven with a record number of breweries vying for the public’s attention, a strong media relations strategy can attract new customers and keep you top-of-mind in the market. Learn effective press tactics and habits from a panel of beer writers and editors, as well as breweries who effectively leverage this important promotional channel.

Fundamentals Room (302-303): Creating a Respectful and Psychologically Safe Workplace with Sam Lillard and Mat Parker, Fisher PhillipsThis presentation will challenge craft breweries to rethink their current approach to harassment prevention. It will provide some basic tools for building better and more effective prevention programs for the #MeToo era and beyond and focus on topics like: the role of workplace culture; bystander training; protocols for addressing employee concerns; and teambuilding to foster psychological safety among employees.

Business of Beer Room (306): Building and Running a Successful Private Events Program with Chelsy Kokenge, Rhinegeist BreweryHaving a successful private events program can bring in thousands of new people to your facility each year. Not only does this mean extra revenue but it also means brand exposure to people who might not have known about it otherwise. This in turn can help grow your brand, your sales and the overall awareness of your brewery. This presentation will provide a general overview on the fundamentals of starting, running and growing a successful private events program.

3 – 3:45 p.m.:

Main Room (103): Practical Applications in Sustainability with Janae Chaney, Rhinegeist BreweryDo you know what you’re putting down the drain and the ramifications that can come along with that? Does your head spin when trying to research regulations pertaining to wastewater? Janae will walk through her wastewater experiences and lessons learned at Rhinegeist, which includes learning about wastewater regulations, exploring practical strategies for wastewater pH neutralization and surcharge mitigation, as well as stepping through tactics in assessing if you’re overpaying on your sewer bill.

Fundamentals Room (302-303): Risk and Safety Awareness in the Brewing Industry with George Shaw, Wandering Griffin BrewpubWithin the context of brewery operations, we will provide an understanding of the basics of risk, attention/awareness and safety performance, and discuss how we can use these concepts to reduce risk in the brewery.

Business of Beer Room (306): A Bottom’s Up Approach to Digital Marketing with Devon Hoffman, Site-SeekerWhat goes into your digital marketing recipe? There are countless types of beer you can brew, using all sorts of different ingredients to make them your own. The same can be said for digital marketing. Here’s something we hear all the time: “I’m all set on social media. I mean, I publish posts to Facebook…” Yes, Facebook is an important ingredient, but it is only one in a full recipe that’s needed to brew digital success. We believe in an integrated, data-driven approach – leveraging your brand story and taking advantage of content, engagement, planning, and advertising. In this session, we will provide a proven way to help you spend your time more wisely and produce better results. We will also show you some of the hacks we’ve learned to increase your digital presence at affordable costs.

7:30 – 9 a.m.: Breakfast and registration/badge pickup in the main lobby

9 – 9:45 a.m.:

Main Room (103): Keynote Speaker: Quality: A Complete Picture with Neil Witte, Quality Ambassador, Brewers AssociationThis talk is an examination of what quality means to today’s brewer, the brewery and the industry as a whole. Quality programs are explored through the lens of the vast array of resources available from the Brewers Association, while at the same time encouraging Brewers to expand their understanding of what constitutes a quality program.

10 – 10:45 a.m.:

Main Room (103): Taproom Management Panel moderated by Bob Szuter, Wolf’s Ridge Brewing with Jason Brewer, Listermann Brewing, Mike Byrne, Lineage Brewing, Allison Pryce, Great Lakes Brewing Company and Lauren Wescott, MadTree BrewingAs you prepare to open your brewery or are growing in size, management of your on-premise operation is incredibly important to the success of your business. A well-run machine creating positive experiences for your guests will pay dividends whether you primarily sell your beer inside or outside. In this panel, we hope to discuss the challenges in today’s market and how these successful on-premise operations have worked hard to stay ahead of the curve.

Fundamentals Room (302-303): What I Wish I Knew Before Opening a Brewery with Brian Grafton, FMD Architects and Michael Chisnell and Megan Slater, Ignite Brewing CompanyBuilding a brewery doesn’t have to be complicated, and with proper planning up front, you can avoid common hurdles that cause delays and extra costs. Join FMD Architects and Ignite Brewing Company as we host a panel session specifically targeted on helping breweries startup. The panel will broadly cover critical planning areas like selecting a location, permitting, startup operations, and include an extended Q/A session to hear from the audience and answer your questions. Don’t miss the opportunity to get your questions answered and hear from other brewers!

Business of Beer Room (306): We Love Our Distributor with Max Fram and Bobby Slattery, Fifty West Brewing Company and Chris Cianciolo, Stagnaro DistributingGoing from self-distribution to working with a wholesaler is a big step. We’ll shine some light on taking this step and what a successful working relationship between the brewery and distributor looks like. We include what a distributor looks for from its craft suppliers and how a brewery can support its distributor to get the most out of their abilities.

Fermentation Room (305): A Modern Approach to MicrobiologyQC with Lance Shaner, Omega YeastThis talk will provide an overview of brewery microbiology medias and recommendations to screen for most commonly seen, high risk brewery contaminants. We will describe key checkpoints along the process to screen for contaminants and prevent costly downstream consequences. Our “insider” tips for brewery lab necessities and low cost solutions for equipment will help brewers set up a microbiology lab on a budget.

Business of Beer Room (306): Finding the Sweet Spot: Growing Your Brewery and Understanding How and Where to Invest Your Profits with Audra Gaiziunas, CEO, Bhramari Brewing CompanyYou have a slew of numbers and data assembled in financial statements, but face making decisions quickly, without knowing where to start or how to prioritize your profits. What if you could learn key areas of focus, the math behind each area, and the methodology to confidently make decisions to bring you the greatest amount of return while preserving cash over the longer run?

Fermentation Room (305): Doing It All – Barrel Aging at Wolf’s Ridge Brewing with Chris Davison, Wolf’s Ridge BrewingAt WRB we currently house over 150 barrels. While most begin their life as a “clean” beer, they all eventually wind up producing sour beer as well. Learn about sourcing and caring for unique barrels on a budget and how to extend the life of a barrel indefinitely. We work with barrels from 3 continents, some as large as 600L and over 60 years old and we purchase barrels from at least 4 different suppliers. Careful planning and attention to detail can help build your brand and engage with the most passionate of craft beer drinkers.

12 – 12:45 p.m.:

Main Room (103): Should I Start Selling My Beer with a Wholesaler or Self-Distribute? with Sara Cleary, Fat Head’s Brewery and Eric Butler and Adam Hickernell, Wolf’s Ridge BrewingSeminar will discuss the pros and cons of signing with a wholesaler contract in the state of Ohio or self distributing your brand. It will also include information on signing your first contract, tips and pointers for making sure you are getting the best deal and tools and resources for the process.

Fundamentals Room (302-303): Crafting a Destination Brewery with Brian Grafton, FMD Architects, John Haggerty, Warped Wing Brewing Company and Ronald Shea, R.Shea BrewingEat, Drink, Play and Stay! As the brewery industry continues to grow, many breweries are focusing their expansions on strategies to help them become a destination place. With features like a unique tasting room experience, event centers, patios with live music, and overnight accommodations, breweries have the opportunities now more than ever to draw customers in, retain them longer, and use additional options for revenue generation to fuel your growth. Stop in and learn a variety of ways you can expand your brewery and craft your operation into a destination place.

Business of Beer Room (306): How to Win Sales in a Crowded Self-Distribution Marketplace with Jay Levinson, Urban ArtifactBuyers used to see 2-4 beer reps a week, now some see as many as 30! Jay Levinson, Sales Manager for Urban Artifact, helps give you simple tricks and tips to stand out and win in this increasingly crowded market.

Fermentation Room (305): Avoiding Malt Off-Flavors and Optimizing Shelf Stability in Beer with Tyler Schoales, Great Western Malting and Kevin Ely, Wooly Pig Farm BreweryIn this presentation, Tyler Schoales and Kevin Ely will share techniques maltsters and brewers use to avoid off flavors in beer which are directly impacted by malt. Additionally, they will harness their own experiences and technical knowledge to explain best practices in malt storage and handling in order to mitigate precursors of off flavors and oxidation.

Fundamentals Room (302-303): OSHA Alliance with the Ohio Craft Brewers – Lessons Learned with Keith Bullock, Ohio Bureau of Workers’ CompensationThe safety alliance with OSHA Department of Labor/Ohio BWC/Ohio Craft Brewery Association and others, has been ongoing since October, 2018. Since that time, an outreach of various voluntary activities were created to help craft brewery owners and their employees understand how the safety regulations that apply and what compliance requires. This presentation will share the results of this work-in-progress, it’s time to see what we’ve learned, together in this last year and a half.

Business of Beer Room (306): Time to Hire a Sales Person? Building Your Team 101 with Sara Cleary, Fat Head’s BreweryJoin industry vet Sara Cleary as she helps you to understand the ins and outs of what it takes both structurally and financially to start to build out your sales team.

Fermentation Room (305): Fruit and Fermentation: First Hand Observations in Steel and Oak with Joshua Elliott, Urban ArtifactIn his presentation, Fruit and Fermentation: First Hand Observations in Steel and Oak, Urban Artifact Head Brewer, Joshua Elliott, will discuss theoretical and practical applications of fruit across the brewing process. Topics discussed will include achieving balance, fruit processing parameters and techniques, failures/ successes and more.